Ashes to Ashford
by WHITLOCKBABY123
Summary: After Mason's funeral, a surprise proposal takes Rose on a journey to the land of Vodka, Secrets, and people she may wish to forget...
1. Chapter 1

**ASHES TO ASHFORD**

**CHAPTER 1**

Today was the day I had been dreading the most. My sweet, loving, gorgeous, kind-hearted Mason's funeral. I don't know how I'd been coping the last few days. All I could picture in my head was Isaiahs red eyes, Mason's ocean blue ones and the sickening crunch that sounded when his life had been taken from him.

I was dressed in a simple black dress, it reached mid thigh. It was tight around the bust, emphasizing my assets but not in an inappropriate way for a funeral. It puffed out from the waist and had medium width straps, and tied behind my neck. I wore a pair of buckled 3 inch black heels that were patent. But you could still see the circles under my eyes and my skin looked a bit paler than my usual tanned complexion. I couldn't care less. I was numb inside.

In the beginning, I'll admit I was using Mason as a distraction from Dimitri and Tasha, but the truth was I had grown to love him. And today it hit home. I was never going to see him again. I feel so guilty; Mason had gotten killed trying to protect me. Stupid Boy! Why did he have to do that? He went and let his feelings for me get in the way and that had cost him his life.

That's exactly why Dimitri didn't want to do anything about our relationship. He knew that if he let himself love me it would get in the way of our duty to Lissa, to protect her. He wouldn't jump in front of her in the event of an attack, he would jump in front of me. I shook myself out my reverie and made my down to Lissa's room. I knocked on the door, she opened it and stepped out with Christian at her side. She wore a knee length dress and Sparky wore a suit. Black of course.

"Hey" I said quietly. I couldn't even summon the strength to be myself.

"Hey Rose, how you holding up?" she replied, I could feel how concerned she was through the bond.

"Ok" I lied. "Let's go"

We made our way down to where the funeral was being held. I scanned the room, searching for familiar faces. I caught sight of Eddie, Mason's best friend. I gave him a sad smile and a weak nod, and then found my seat. I also saw Dimitri looking stoic and solemn, as he stood against the wall with the other guardians. He nodded at me but I could see the concern in his eyes. The priest guy began to talk. "Family, friends, loved ones. Today we are here to celebrate the life and mourn the death of the beloved Mason Ashford". He droned on that way until it was time for me to give my speech. I clambered on stage, behind the podium and stole a glance at Mason. Tears welled up in my eyes. I cleared my throat.

"I know you have heard a lot of speeches today. And I'm asking you to hear just one more. Mason was one of my best friends, maybe even closer than some, and soon enough he became more. I'll admit I wasn't completely in love with him, but had we been given the chance I would have. His smile could light up a room and he had a personality to match. We were always getting into trouble since we were kids. From starting rumours about certain guardians" I coughed "Stan" everyone chuckled and Stan shot me a weak death glare. "To putting mento and coke bombs in the guardians' toilets" everyone snickered including me.

"I think deep down, I've always loved Mason, and I always will, but I don't think it could ever be enough. He gave his life for me by putting himself in the path of the attack." Everyone gasped quietly.

"He was my first kiss and I was his last." I murmured into the microphone. I saw tears in everyone's eyes but I continued. "You know the first thing I did when I got back from Spokane was rack my brain on ways to end my life, so that I could see him again. I even got so far to the point that I was in the bathroom, blade in hand, ready to be with him again." I could hear the muffled sobs of the audience.

"I just miss him so much." My voice broke on the last word. "I'll never forget Mason, he'll always be in my thoughts. Always. "I concluded weakly. The tears were like a waterfall pouring down my cheeks, leaving wet trails.

I silently walked to where Mason lay, finally resting at peace. _This is it_. I thought as I bent down to press my lips to his stone cold cheek, for the last time. I walked back to my seat quietly and was silent after that.

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. All VA characters belong to Richelle Meade, but we will add some of our own later. **

**Hey ; ) This is our first fanfic , comments and criticism will be appreciated. But pls don't flame, it's not attractive!**

**Thanks xxxx**

**K & L **


	2. Chapter 2

***CHAPTER 2**

I woke up the next day and instead of the sadness I had expected, rage coursed through me from my head to my toes. Why hadn't he been there for me? When I needed him the most? And where was Lissa? My **supposed best friend**. I got up with a renewed energy, never had a training session been more of a blessing. I made my way down to the gym, tying my hair in a messy bun as I went. When I entered the gym the first thing I noticed was that Dimitri wasn't there. I pulled out one of the training dummies and let the darkness take over.

I didn't notice the door open, I didn't even notice the strong arms that tried to pin me down, I just kept fighting. I wasn't sure whether I was fighting myself or the mock Strigoi in front of me. I was faintly aware of Russian being murmured in my ear, but I was too far gone to listen.

After what felt like a lifetime, I came back to the real world. I fell to the floor in a heap, breathing heavily as I tried to organise my thoughts. I stiffened momentarily when the same strong arms hugged me to a large, broad chest. I inhaled the familiar scent of Dimitri's aftershave.

"Rose." He sighed quietly. "Oh Roza" I could tell he was worried because his accent got thicker. Tears began to stream down my face. I had the sudden urge to vent my feelings, but I didn't want to talk. So I broke free of his arms and ran to my room, ignoring his distant cries. I grabbed my notebook and pen, and began.

_Dear Notebook,_

_What is wrong with me? Why do all the people I love leave me? I've always felt kinda like an outsider. This started when I was 2 and my mum dumped me at St Vlad's academy. I felt isolated. Then I met Mason and Eddie, and they became very good friends. We were all close, but Mase and I had a special connection. He understood me like no one else, even Lissa. She couldn't understand, cos she was a Moroi, she had choices; she had no idea what it felt like to be without choice. To be stuck between a rock and a hard place, be a Guardian or a Blood-whore. _

_Then me and Liss went on the run and I met this amazing guy. I'm not going to say his name, it's a little soon so I'll just give you his initials. N.C. But he died and the stress it put on my body killed our baby too. When me and Liss came back to the academy we weren't as close. She started going out with Christian and I was happy for her, but we haven't spoken like we used to, since we came back. _

_Then Spokane happened and I lost the 1 person I had left. Mason. I'm so angry at him, for leaving me here. He was meant to be my best friend but he abandoned me. Why did he leave me? Am I not good enough? Is that why I always seem to end up alone?_

_With sadness, Rose xx _

Then I cried myself to sleep.

**Thanks to anyone who reviewed, it really made our day! PLease continue to review as we'd love to know what improvements can be made and what you like about it. xxx**

**K&L xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The next morning my hair was matted to my face and my neck hurt from falling asleep on the windowsill. I mustered the energy to walk to the kitchen and was looking for food when I felt someone jump on my back. My training kicked in. It's not something I can help anymore and within a few seconds I had the intruder pinned to the floor with my forearm. Only when I felt the persons harsh breath on my face did I realise id just knocked the wind out of my friend. I scrambled up pulling her with me.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" she screeched. It made me wish I still had her pinned down. She could stop the world turning with how loud she could shout. "YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE ABOUT TO KILL ME!"

"Well that is the general idea when your get snuck up at nine in the morning in the comfort of my own home." I mumbled my mind still groggy with tears.

"Have you been crying?"

"No" I said a little to defensively, worried about what she would think of to make me feel better.

"How about shopping with me Christian and Dimitri?"

My heart let at the thought of spending all day with Dimitri outside of the training room. He was so much calmer then. But when I remembered we would be shopping with Lissa a small part of me died.

Lissa was rich now and my god did we know it. She didn't need to think about what she was buying all she needed to know was just how good it looked on her and the deal was done. I on the other hand had to count every shamefully scarce penny I let slip through my fingers.

The next two hours of my life confirmed my theory that curling is the most boring of all the hair styling methods. Dare I say it even more boring that straightening? But once I had been curled scrubbed and powdered to what Lissa deemed 'socially acceptable' we began to start the long process of leaving the house.

"Come on, come on!" Lissa whined as I closed doors and windows "The boys are waiting" she was so excited to get out of the house she was practically bouncing off the walls. That bloody boyfriend of hers was all she cared about these days, mind you I would probably be the same if I had a boyfriend that bought me a freaking Cartier diamond ring for no other reason than 'I just wanted to see you eyes light up'

"Why is Dimitri coming? I didn't think you two were that close" I asked. Not that I didn't want him to be there but I was genuinely curious as to why he would voluntarily put himself through shopping with Lissa.

"Were not that close but him and Christian are, plus it's just another pair of eyes to tell me how amazing I look." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and flounced towards the door. She was trying to be sarcastic but that doesn't really work when deep down you think what your saying is true.

"Besides Christian wanted 'Guy Company'."

I was a bit disappointed that he didn't just want to spend the day with me but if that was the case he wouldn't have told Lissa for fear everyone would know buy lunchtime. Which they probably would.

Sure enough the boys were waiting in the car park. Dimitri was looking fiiine in black jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I looked down to be sure that I wasn't staring like an idiot. Dimitri and I got into the back of the car, close but not touching at any point. It seems backwards doesn't it? That I can punch this man, hug this man but as soon as it comes to acting natural in a car on the way to the mall, I have no idea where to start.

**Sorry for the short chapters guys they're just fillers until the really good stuff comes. xxxx Thx to everyone who reviewed and read the story xxx**

**K&L xxxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

**The Shopping Trip**

The ride to the mall was pretty uncomfortable, only because of the electric and slightly violent tension crackling between me and my 'Russian Jailer. 'He was the only man I'd ever met who I could create that kind of tension with. Thankfully the car ride only lasted a while, and after my last rendition of Katy Perry Peacock, we arrived and the Missoula Grand Mall.

_Finally! _I thought, as I jumped out of the car to stretch my legs. I breathed in the clean, crisp air, all the while ignoring Lissa's incessant chatter about 'Chanel this' and 'Prada that.' In the corner of my eye I saw Chris roll his eyes and mouth "What the _**Fuck**_ is Gucci Limited Edition Platforms?" I burst out laughing, while everyone except Christian and Dimitri gave me weird looks.

"I'm ok!" I choked out, still giggling hysterically. When I was calm, we stepped into the mall. Then I was hit with

"ROSE! We have to go to Victoria's Secret first, then Forever21!"

I sighed "Let's go then Princess."

About an hour into the torture, _God I hate shopping_ I thought, Dimitri appeared beside me "Are you enjoying yourself so far?" He murmured in his ridiculously sexy, husky accent.

"I enjoyed buying my dress." And that was the truth. My dress was amazing, even better than the lust charm dress. It was a figure hugging, long-sleeved, red dress that reached about mid thigh. It had triangular cut-outs on the stomach, back, arms and sides, ranging in size.

"Yeah, I'm pretty happy you bought that dress too. And I'll be even happier hen you wear it." Dimitri said in a husky voice. I could see the hunger swirling in his eyes for a moment, before his Guardian mask was back in place.

I was stunned that he'd actually said that, but I wasn't complaining. I flashed him my infamous man-eater smiles and said "Well I guess I'll have to model it for you then."

He chuckled deep in his throat, and the sound washed over me, sending tingles down my spine. After another excruciatingly painful 2 hours of _**DEATH BY DESIGNERS, **_we walked to the car, and I sent a **VERY** thankful prayer up to whoever up there was listening.

**Hey Guys! Once again sorry for the short chapters, these are just fillers but we hope you like them anyway xxxx**

**K&L xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Being forced to sit next to Dimitri in the back of a car was both a blessing and a curse. As nice as it felt to be close to him, an awkward silence hung in the back of the car as Lissa babbled on about the new shoes she'd bought. Dimitri's phone rang and I got a lovely look at his butt when he reached down to get it from his bag.

His eyes were really expressive, and you could tell a lot about him if you looked closely. His beautiful browns had a homey look, then they glassed over, going strangely blank and he did that one eyebrow thing that I will always be jealous of.

When the journey mercifully ended I made to walk to my room, when a strong arm grabbed mine and I felt the weight of a heavy coat on my shoulders.

"I'll walk you to your room." Dimitri said. He definitely wasn't the kind of man you could say no to. _Not that I ever would._

We walked in silence but my mind was fighting with itself, debating the pros and cons of inviting him in, when we stopped at my door. He looked deep in thought too. At least he looked happy although I would've killed to know what he was thinking. Then the logical part of my brain, _yeah I do have one,_ remembered that his internal monologue would probably be in Russian, so if I could read his mind it would be a lost cause.

I was so absorbed in this that I nearly walked straight into my door.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Do you mind if I came in?" We both rushed out at the same time.

There was a beat of silence before we both burst into laughter and after such a tense day, it was nice to him laugh, as I opened the door. We wandered into the kitchenette still giggling like 2 school children that pranked a teacher. I clicked on the kettle and turned to face him, still smiling, when I saw him leaning against the counter opposite me. The kitchenette was quite small so facing each other seemed more intimate than it should have.

"Roza" he started. My heart softened at the sound of my Russian name, then started beating double time at the realisation that this would be a serious conversation.

"I've been contacted by my old training centre back home in Siberia. They have decided that they want me to go back for a while."

My gaze fell to my shoes in an attempt to hide the sadness in the form of tears clouding them.

"And they want me to bring you with me"

My eyes flew to his face as he explained, "Your story is travelling fast around the world and they think that you should have the experience of a Russian training programme to see if you are as good as people say you are." He paused for a moment. "And as beautiful as I say you are."

I searched his eyes for a hint that he might be joking before throwing myself at him and hugging him tightly around his yummily toned waist. When he didn't hug back I asked

"You are going to let me go aren't you?" suddenly concerned and embarrassed for hugging him.

He laughed "Of course I will!" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He picked me up bridal style and spun me around, then we sat down to discuss travel plans.

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, they really warm our hearts. xx3 **

**We solemnly swear that chapter 6 will be much longer. We've broken up for the summer hols so K is in the middle of writing chapter 10 and we'll have much more time to upload and write.  
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**Please keep reviewing we love to hear what you think. and if someone could PM us to explain what a Beta does that would be great because we still dont get it :p  
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**Thx a bunch guys xx  
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**K&L  
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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- diary entry 2

_Dear Notebook,_

_I'm sorry. For 2 things really._

_Not giving you a name. I can't really find anything that fits other than Notebook, which is actually quite accurate considering you are a Notebook. _

_For not writing to you in a few days._

_Ok let's get started with the real chat._

_OMMFG (oh-my-mother-fucking-gosh)! Comrade just asked me to go to Russia with him, and train with his old friends._

_I don't know about this, Notebook. I have no doubt that I can trust him, but is that enough to let him in? Ok Notebook, I'm gonna let you in on what happened away from the academy; I will warn you it's not a nice story._

_So we left the academy when we were 14. About 4 months after we'd left, we ended up in Moscow. That's where I met him. _

_Nikolai Chenko._

_He was a Moroi so he was nowhere near as buff or tall as Dimitri, but he still had that rare amount of muscle on his body. He had ashy blonde hair, with the Moroi signature fair skin, and grey eyes with flecks of azure blue. We were total opposites; that's why we worked so well together. Light and dark. Good and bad. Moroi and Dhamphir_

_He was studying to be a doctor, which wasn't unusual considering how smart he was and the fact that he wasn't a royal. I met him when I was 14 in a club. Lissa and I weren't meant to be there.** Being under aged sucked! ** So I had to flash a little cleavage to get the bouncer to let us in. luckily I was very well developed at 14, a nice bouncy B-cup._

_I was standing against the bar, sipping JD and coke, when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I tuned to see 6ft 5 of pure blonde haired goodness smirking at me. **What a perfect guy** I had thought. Then he opened his mouth. _

_He pestered me for 2 weeks, and then on my 15th birthday I finally gave in and went on a date with him. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. _

_When the time came for my 16th birthday, we'd still been going strong. We hadn't done IT, only some stuff. He was fine with the fact that I just hadn't been ready. But now I was. He'd given me the most beautiful promise ring, proving his love to me. _

"_**My beautiful Rose, you have given me a reason to love life. We are completely different in every way but our love for each other. I've told you before that you're it for me, you are my world. So let this promise ring be a symbol of my promise to love, hold and stand by you until the end of time, because I know that should anything happen I will continue to love you well into the next life. I am so incredibly proud to be able to call you mine, sweetheart. Whenever I see you I see the truth. You are everything honest and right to me. I love you so much and one day I will be so happy to call you my wife. You'll have to settle for a promise right now though, since we're so young."**_

_I wanted to show him just how much I truly loved him, give him something that only he could possess. That night we were cuddling in bed, when I turned to him and whispered _

"_Make love to me" he looked into my eyes, searching for a hint of uncertainty _

"_Are you sure?" he said his eyes sweet but hungry._

"_Yes, I trust you." I said confidently, and we let the night go._

_2 months later I was throwing up in the toilet and 1 trip to the doctor later, we'd found out that I was pregnant. I was terrified and excited all at the same time. But I knew that we could get through it. I mean come on! It was Nik we were talking about. He would make the most amazing father._

_The pregnancy was going well; we'd bought loads of stuff for the baby, all in neutral colours as we wanted to wait until the birth to find out the gender._

_I was around 5 months gone when we were attacked._

_Nik and I were out for a walk. It was just before sundown so I thought we were ok. It was still kind of light, but sundown was approaching so we couldn't be long. I thought we were safe. _

_I was wrong._

_It all seems so blatantly obvious now that I look back. Because it **was** obvious._

_The small barely there streaks of burgundy on the rough tree trunks. The crumpled blue shirt, spattered with blood, lying in a bush. The severed hand hanging from a tree a few metres away. It was incredibly careless. Even no I still don't know how I could have missed all of those formidable signs. Maybe if I wasn't so lost in the presence of Nik, I would have seen them, maybe he'd still be here. If I hadn't been daydreaming about Nik and our unborn baby._

_It went eerily quiet. Then suddenly they charged from the tree line in a group of 6. All tall, pale with rings of fiery crimson around their pupils. I kicked, scratched, punched, dodged and stabbed. But none proved enough as they dragged Nik away; unconscious and bleeding. I fought so hard to get him, but I was too weak. My right arm had been dislocated; I was bleeding and was probably 1 pint of blood away from a comatose state. So I watched and cried as they dragged my love away, taking my heart with them. _

_3 day passed and the Guardians who'd been searching still hadn't found any sign of Nik. I felt as if someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. Ironically, those bastards had done nearly that. Lissa had to heal a gaping hole near my heart which, if my bestie wasn't a spirit user, would've killed me for sure._

_The worst thing was that due to the stress of losing Nik and the amount of damage done to my body, I lost my precious baby. I wanted to die. I had just lost the only real part of Nik I had left. The only reminder of the intense love we shared, besides the memories which would soon probably fade. But fortunately they haven't yet. I still remember every detail._

_There's nothing I can do or say to feel better. They still haven't found the body. For all I know Nik could be a Strigoi. My stomach clenches at the thought. _

_Anyway Notebook, enough of this depressing stuff. I'll talk to you soon, hopefully with better news. _

_Yours truly,_

_~Rose xx_

__**Hey guys! Just wanna say a really big thank you to all of you readers and a HUGE thank you to those who have reviewed. Sorry if we couldnt reply to those who dont have a verified account xx Please Review XX The next chapter might take a bit of time as L has chapters 7&8 with her. K has typed up and uploade the ones she had.  
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**Btw, this is a fanfic so we have changed some things. Yeah they left at 14 and yeah she lost her virgnity.  
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**Thx so much for reading and please please please REVIEW!  
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**K&L XX  
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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

I decided to ignore the lusty stares and doey-eyed looks that the air hostesses gave Dimitri, as we boarded the plane, although the jealous bitch in me wanted to tackle her there and then. It would've been easy; she looked like the type whose chosen sport was painting nails. _I wonder how confident she would be if I attacked her with a make up wipe._ I pondered this as I took my seat on the plane of doom, which was my new nickname for it.

I, HATE, FLYING.

If people were meant to fly we would have wings. I mean, what is so welcoming about being strapped to the inside of a metal cage, that's going to fly in the AIR at hundreds of miles an hour? Nothing.

I put on my calm face, which worked until the plane started to take off. I gripped the armrests and closed my eyes tight. I only opened them when I felt a strong hand pry mine out of its death grip on the chair. I opened one eye and glanced at Dimitri, who gave me a reassuring smile. He continued to hold my hand and put his other arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, savouring this moment where I didn't have to hide the want, I had, to be close to him.

Once the plane was in the air for a few minutes, he rubbed my arm and sat up straight. I realised how much safer I felt when he was close. Silly really, I mean he can't be close all the time; he won't necessarily be there when there's an attack.

"Thanks" I said "The idea of flying always makes me nervous."

"Its ok" His smile was genuine "I used to feel the same."

This rare moment of peace was interrupted by a screeching baby. Children really do have adults at their beck and call. They'll do anything to keep their perfect piece of happiness smiling. Sadly this particular baby didn't want to co-operate, and even after much hushing and cooing it relentlessly continued to cry. I tried to focus on the VOGUE I bought at duty free and Dimitri tried to drown it out with his I-Pod, _filled with country music no doubt. _

After a further 10 minutes of frustrated people huffing about how babies that young shouldn't be on planes, the mother retreated with the child into the baby changing room. The cabin seemed too quiet now. Dimitri and I looked at each other before bursting into hysterics. After getting death glares from business men, we quickly silenced ourselves. The mother returned with the baby asleep, resting her head on her mothers shoulder. How can a person be that small?

Dimitri saw me looking and whispered in my ear,

"Children should never be sent to sleep. They always wake up a bit older."

"Awww" I pinched his cheek jokily "I knew there was a soft side to you that was just dying to be let out."

He looked down and blushed slightly. _I think my heart just melted._

After a few hours of reading and re-reading, why leather was the new 'Spring Thing', the plane landed and we went to collect our luggage.

I felt out of place in a hoodie whilst all the other women flounced around in fur coats. Dimitri walked over carrying our cases, one in each hand.

"You ready?"

I nodded and we went out of the gate. The first breath I took hurt. I clutched my chest, in an effort to warm my surely frozen lungs, and stuffed my hands under my arms to try and ease the numbing pain. I hadn't taken anyone seriously when they said the temperature out here was -21, but in hindsight I should've listened.

Dimitri laughed at my extreme reaction to the cold, but the most I could do was glare at him and march to the car. Going from the cold outdoors to the warm car was an incredibly painful mistake. My fingers throbbed and I couldn't feel my cheeks.

Once the pain had calmed to a dull ache, I took the time to take in my surroundings. Snow covered everything. It was like a winter wonderland of lights and bright clean snow. We pulled up to the hotel, I ran inside to avoid the cold, and waited for Dimitri in the foyer. He came back with a room key and hot chocolate.

"We need to get you a fur coat whilst you're here." He stated, taking a sip of the steaming chocolate beverage.

"I don't wear fur" I retorted, looking him straight in the eye.

"You do while you're here." He said simply "You can go back to all your American ways when you go home, but while you're here you need a coat."

I just glared at him as I gulped down the last of my drink. I grabbed my key and stormed to my room. I flopped onto the large bed and pulled out my phone.

_**If I'm wearing fur it had best be black, and flattering not frumpy. – R**_

The reply came instantly.

_**Your wish is my command. – D**_

I smiled to myself and got ready for bed.

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long, L's computer was being stupid so she had to give the chapters to K to type up. Thx for all the views and follows! **

**K would like to apologise for the 'threat' to discontinue the story. "I've realised now what people might feel when reading that comment and i apologise profusely"**

**Love **

**K&L xx**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I was unsure what to wear for my first session. Do I go girly? Or Sporty? Or Fierce? After going through all of the training gear I owned, I finally decided on navy blue beach shorts with grey trackies over the top because it's freezing out, a white vest top with a white Pineapple Dance crop top. I put my hair into a high ponytail, that had a slight bedhead look to it (_not out of choice I might add_), put on put on my coat and my cheap white plimsolls that I trained in cos bad guys never let you stop to put on trainers.

I met Dimitri in the foyer and we walked to the car that would take us to the centre.

When we got there I couldn't believe my eyes. The room was vast. Bigger than an 800m running track. There were dummies hanging from the ceiling and weapons adorned the walls. As we walked down the stairs of the balcony Dimitri asked

"Do you like it?"

I could see the pride in his eyes when I answered "I love it!"

Dimitri gave a sharp whistle and seven heads snapped up. The motion reminded me of the meerkats from that car insurance advert. I don't know how I didn't notice them before. Seven men, all around Dimitri's height and build started walking toward us.

My foot slid back a fraction of an inch, into a ready stance at sight. I soon realised what I had done and went back to standing how I was before, hoping they wouldn't notice.

They did.

They started laughing and muttering to each other in Russian. Dimitri told them to

"Behave" in English, and reminded them that I didn't speak Russian. They each went up to Dimitri, man hugging and smiling, greeting each other. I felt out of place until they all turned on me.

Suddenly I was lost in a whirlwind of hugs, cheek kisses, and handshakes. Then Dimitri told them not to overwhelm me.

"This is Sergei, Artem, and Bevtik" he said gesturing to three rather butch looking guys. "And that's Tyger, Luka, Sashem, and Kashtik."

They all smiled warmly at me, but I was sure that if given the chance they could all knock me out. I looked back to Dimitri.

"Ready?" I frowned at him in confusion.

And then they all started running. _What the fuck?! _I dropped my bag and sprinted after them. They laughed at my alarm but didn't slow down. I reached the back wall a few seconds after they did, but wasn't looking where I was going and slammed full speed into a wall of solid muscle. I looked up to see Luka smirking down at me.

"Uhh hi?" His smirk turned into a smile then the ground vanished from beneath my feet, as I was grabbed from behind and flung over Artem's shoulder. I tried to make myself heavy and kick but my ankles were grabbed by Luka, and I was marched over to a bench to talk about a schedule.

Once a timetable was agreed, which in my opinion was a form of torture. Up at 4am _every morning! Really?!_ We decided to break for lunch but when I was lead to the car, I was told that we would be eating at the Belikovs house… Cue. Freak out!

**Thank you so much to those who reviewed! **

**Amy - Thank you so much for reading and checking the story xxx**

**Next chapter will be up soon hopefully, K is still working on it. **

**Once again, apologies for the comment on the last chapter. Hope you can forgive K :)**

**Love **

**K&L**


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